Home modifications

You can get help to work out what modifications you need by contacting a Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People Equipment and Modifications Services (EMS) assessor. All EMS assessors for housing are occupational therapists.

You can find an EMS assessor by contacting either:

• Te Whatu Ora — Health New Zealand
• your local Needs Assessment Service Coordination (NASC) team
• your doctor — search Healthpoint
• the Occupational Therapy New Zealand — Whakaora Ngangahau Aotearoa
• the Occupational Therapy Board of New Zealand.

You cannot get funding from Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People for modifications that:

• have been done already or have been funded before — unless there’s an important reason for that
• are standard fittings or general maintenance
• are short-term, for example, help you for only 2 or 3 years.

What home modifications we can fund — Whaikaha

If the EMS assessor recommends some modifications, they:

• help you to apply to Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People, and Work and Income for funding
• work with you and the organisations that do the work until the modifications are completed.

Organisations that do the work

If you live in Auckland or Northland, then the work is done by AccessAble. If you live anywhere else in New Zealand, the modifications are done by Enable NZ.

Accessable — accessable.co.nz

Enable NZ — enable.co.nz

Paying for the work

You can only apply for funding from Whaikaha if the changes cost $200 or more. If the cost is going to be more than $25,000, Whaikaha does a special review.

Funding for modifications is limited. Whaikaha works out who needs the funding most by looking at how much you’ll benefit compared with other people who have asked for funding.

If modifications cost less than $200

If the cost of the changes is less than $200, contact Work and Income to ask about getting the:

• Advance Payment of Benefit
• Recoverable Assistance Payment
• Special Needs Grant.

Income and asset test

If the cost is over $8,076, Enable NZ or Accessable help you to get a financial assessment from Work and Income. Work and Income uses the assessment to decide how much of the full cost the Whaikaha will pay for. The financial assessment takes into account:

• the cost of the modifications
• your living expenses
• how much you earn and, if applicable, the other adults who live with you, for example, your partner or adult children
• the money or other assets you have.

As a guide, if your weekly income is more than $20 above your essential living costs, the amount you get reduces by $1,000 for each $10 of extra income.

Income and cash asset test — Whaikaha

If you need help because of an injury, the health professional treating you lodges a claim with the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).

What to do if you’re injured — ACC

If your claim is accepted, your ACC case owner arranges help for you. They carry out a Social Rehabilitation Assessment to work out what modifications you need to your home. If your injury is serious and going to affect you for a long time, they do a Support Needs Assessment.

Help at home after an injury — ACC

Kāinga Ora has an agreement with the Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People and ACC to modify houses for any tenants who have a disability because of their health or an injury.

If you’re an existing tenant, contact customer services at Kāinga Ora.

If the house can be modified, a housing advisor asks you to contact your doctor for a needs assessment. The housing advisor also contacts your tenancy manager to let them know that you have asked for some modifications.

Get a needs assessment

If the needs assessment shows that you need some modifications to your home, the Needs Assessment Service Coordination (NASC) team arranges for an Equipment and Modifications Services (EMS) assessor — often an occupational therapist — to visit you to find out exactly what modifications you need.

The EMS assessor makes a recommendation to Kāinga Ora that:

• modifications should be made to your home, or
• you should be transferred to a house that is already modified or can be more easily modified.

Getting the work done

Once Kāinga Ora approves the modifications, the EMS assessor recommends Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People funding. When this is confirmed, Enable NZ or Accessable appoint a contractor to make the changes to your home.

If you live in Auckland or Northland, then the work is done by Accessable. If you live anywhere else in New Zealand, the modifications are done by Enable NZ.

Accessable — accessable.co.nz

Enable NZ — enable.co.nz

Veterans’ Affairs has 2 programmes that help with modifications to your home.

• Veterans’ Independence Programme — if your service qualifies, you can apply for help to make modifications to your home
• Rehabilitation — this provides modifications to your home if you have a service-related injury or illness.

Contact Veterans’ Affairs to talk to a case manager about what you need. They’ll:

• help you get the support you’re entitled to from other government agencies
• recommend help from Veterans’ Affairs if no other service is available.

A-Z: support, services and entitlements — Veterans’ Affairs

If you need modifications to your home and have long-term serious health problems, contact the Needs Assessment Service Coordination (NASC) team to find out about Long Term Supports – Chronic Health Conditions (LTSCHC) funding.

NASCs — regional contacts details

This funding is available to people who do not qualify for:

• other Te Whatu Ora funding, for example, funding that helps people 65 years or older
• disability support services paid for by the Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People.

If the NASC team thinks you qualify, they’ll ask an Equipment and Modifications Services (EMS) assessor — usually an occupational therapist — to visit you. If they agree that you need this help, they’ll recommend that the changes you need in your home are paid for by the LTSCHC fund.

Getting the work done

If you live in Auckland or Northland, then the work is done by Accessable. If you live anywhere else in New Zealand, the modifications are done by Enable NZ.

Accessable — accessable.co.nz

Enable NZ — enable.co.nz